List MP

A list MP is a

party list rather than from a geographical constituency. The place in Parliament is due to the number of votes that the party won, not to votes received by the MP personally. This occurs only in countries which have an electoral system based wholly or partly on party-list proportional representation

.

Different systems

In some countries, seats in the chamber are filled solely in accordance with the share of votes won by each individual party. Thus, in

Mixed Member Proportional, the method used in Germany and New Zealand

, a merger of party-list representation and geographic representation is employed — parties contest geographic seats, but are then "topped up" with MPs from a party list.

New Zealand

New Zealand has 120 MPs represented by five parliamentary parties, out of which there are 72 electorate seats, 65 general electorate seats and seven Māori electorates, elected using First Past the Post voting system (FPP); the candidate who gets the most votes wins. The other 48 MPs are elected from the party lists. The number of List MPs each party gets is the difference between a party's total allocation of seats in parliament and its number of electorate MPs.

Controversies

The existence of list MPs has caused controversy in some countries. It is sometimes complained that because list MPs do not have a geographic electorate, they are not properly accountable to anyone. In addition, the methods used to create party lists are sometimes criticised as undemocratic — in a closed list system, the public have no way of influencing the composition of a party list. In this situation, the public cannot support one candidate without also supporting other candidates from the same party. Supporters of party list proportional representation sometimes retort that the public often have little control over the selection of local candidates, either — if a voter's preferred party selects a poor candidate, the voter is forced to either vote for a candidate they dislike or vote for a party they dislike. Under a party list system, voters can support their preferred party even if they are unwilling to vote for its local candidate.

An

lijsttrekker). In the Netherlands, the party leader usually gets a large majority of the votes for that party, but in 2006 the number 2 on the list, Rita Verdonk

got over 10% more votes than Mark Rutte. This eventually led to Rita Verdonk leaving the VVD and starting her own party.

There is also debate about the right of a list MP to switch parties. Because list MPs gain their seats by virtue of being on a party list, rather than by winning votes personally, some contend that the party, not the MP, is the rightful "owner" of the seat. In

waka jumping or "party-hopping" legislation

. ACT alleged that it was ACT, not Awatere Huata, who was awarded the seat in the last election, and that when Awatere Huata left ACT, she should not have been able to take the seat with her. ACT's view was accepted, and Awatere Huata was expelled from Parliament.

References

^ "Open, Closed and Free lists".
^ "Alamein Kopu dies aged 68 (update)". rotoruadailypost.co.nz. 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012.

[1] "Open, Closed and Free lists".

[rotoruadailypost-2] "Alamein Kopu dies aged 68 (update)". rotoruadailypost.co.nz. 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012.